Travelport and Amadeus have unveiled new web-based solutions to offer Asia-Pacific travel consultants access to their respective GDSs via the Internet, allowing them to serve clients after office hours or on the go.
Amadeus’ new Mobile Access is the smartphone and tablet version of Amadeus Selling Platform, enabling access to travel content such as fare quotes, bookings, PNR creation, modification and cancellation, ticketing and sales reports across air, cars and hotels. It will be available in India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Travelport’s mobile solution, GalileoTerminal, can be used to book flights, quote fares, issue tickets and perform other business-critical functions. It will be launched in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia from next month, before being rolled out progressively to the rest of the region in 2013. Currently in its first version, Travelport will enhance GalileoTerminal to a point-and-click system eventually.
Said Chua Hui-Wan, Travelport senior regional director for Asia-Pacific: “Regardless of whether they are corporate or leisure travel agencies, they are telling us again and again that mobile is the way they want to access, whether for convenience or to be able to be there 24/7 for their customers.”
Chua hoped such a solution will be a catalyst to new ways of doing business. “The first step is to get agencies into this mode of technology then expand beyond that…It’s not just using mobile to access, but how to make themselves a lot more visible to the consumer who is viewing and booking travel on mobile.”
Bruno des Fontaines, vice president, business solutions, Amadeus Asia-Pacific, said: “As consumers increasingly look to travel comparison sites and even direct bookings to arrange their travel, Mobile Access helps travel agencies maximise sales, efficiency and customer service in a highly competitive environment.
“Not only does the tool support new sales, but it allows (consultants) to provide a premium service to existing customers, ensuring customer loyalty with no additional cost involved.”
